Pacific Rim Uprising director would love to helm a retro Doom Patrol movie

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Whether you grooved on the film or not, PACIFIC RIM UPRISING is the talk of the town, this Friday afternoon. And seeing as the iron is rather hot, at the moment, this feels like as good a time as any to drop some news related to the robot action sequel's director, Steven S. DeKnight. Recently, while speaking with CBR.com, DeKnight remarked to the comic entertainment outlet that, if given the opportunity, he'd very much like to helm a movie based on DC's Comics DOOM PATROL.

"So, I looked at Doom Patrol at DC, something like that, which you can sink your teeth into and make it a little quirky,” DeKnight told CBR. “Don’t get me wrong. If somebody popped up and said, ‘Hey, what about Superman or Spider-Man?,’ of course, I’d say yes. I’d be stupid not to. But, I’d love to get my hands on something like a Doom Patrol, something a little bit lesser known. Doing a Doom Patrol movie set in the ‘60s, that would be heaven.”

Known to many as the "World's Strangest Heroes," the DOOM PATROL were introduced in the pages of DC's My Greatest Adventure #80 cira 1963. Early last year, the super-powered band of misfit heroes had seen themselves stylishly revived thanks to DC's Young Animal imprint. Written by My Chemical Romance frontman and Young Animal co-creator Gerard Way with art by Nick Derington, DOOM PATROL features a ragtag group of heroes who view their powers as more of a curse than a gift. Known for venturing into some of DC's weirdest and wildest places, the DOOM PATROL team now consists of the characters: Casey Brinke, Sam Reynolds, Terry None, Robotman, Negative Man, Crazy Jane, Flex Mentallo, Rita Farr, and Eternity Girl.

While continuing his chat with CBR, DeKnight confessed to the outlet that he'd looked to one of Marvel Studio's unexpected successes for inspiration.

"I grew up reading comics constantly, mostly Marvel and DC. It’s like asking what kind of ice cream you want to eat. I love them all,” DeKnight said. “Obviously, there’s the big ones. Superman. Batman. Pick any Marvel character. But, for me, if I was going down the path of a big movie or quasi-big movie, I love what James Gunn did. A lot of people didn’t know Guardians of the Galaxy. I knew it from the comics. I remember when it was first announced, I thought, ‘Well, that’s insane. I don’t know how they are going to translate Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen.’ James Gunn did such a magnificent job.”

While the Doom Patrol have been featured in a number of DC's animated offerings, fans of the characters will soon have the opportunity to see their live-action counterparts when DC's TITANS television series makes its way to the studio's planned streaming service. Perhaps, if the show does well, demand for a DOOM PATROL movie will become strong.

Would you check out a DOOM PATROL movie with DeKnight at the helm, or have the hot-and-cold reviews of PACIFIC RIM UPRISING got you spooked? Let us know what's on your mind in the comments section below.